On the Other side
by ADAMalchemist
Summary: Slowly, he turned to the mirror, seeing a teen stand staring at him with breathtaking blue eyes. He gasped and hiccupped all at once, causing him to look down. This was a dream, right? There was no possible way for a…a person to be in a mirror. Unless…unless this was one of those haunted mirrors his friends back home used to tease him about - I'm horrible at summeries. HiJack fic.
1. The mirror in the attic

**A/N: So, I had this crazy idea the other day that maybe, just maybe there is another world on the other side of the mirror. And it got me thinking about things. Somehow, this little piece of...stuff was born from my thinking. I don't own the characters. Enjoy, I guess?**

* * *

It _is not_ _fair_.

Every child at one point or another says such things. Usually, it's said when being grounded. Being forced to stay in your room, no television, no friends, just you and the set of jacks you have hidden away under your bed for these type of occasions. Sadly, he only wished he was grounded; to stay in his room for forever – in kid years – to do nothing but stare at the four walls he had grown up with. At the moment, he was anything _but _grounded. The clouds were only a foot or two away from the window he sat next to.

Hendrick crossed his arms and puffed his cheeks in frustration. This was completely unfair, having to move. What was wrong with his old house? The country he lived in ever since he was born? There was no war, no real reason he saw to move. His father could've easily found a job back home. Why would he want to get one so far away?

He picked up his small legs, leaning them up against the seat in front of him as he slid down his own seat, almost trying to hide from the world. His father, who sat next to him, frowned and patted the top of the ten year old's flip flops. With a long sigh, he did as his father silently commanded and dropped his feet.

The flight from Iceland to America was longer than expected. Hendrick expected it to be no longer than an hour or two, depending on the weather of course. But, the weather was fine; seemingly clear skies, the sun just perfectly coming into sight. He yawned and glared out the window. They should have been in Burgess by now, unpacking what little stuff they brought with them. Which was only a few sets of clothes, family heirlooms, a toy or two, and all important photographs. Sadly, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how hard he begged, he was unable to stuff his friends into his suitcases. If one were to ask Hendrick's mother about the situation, she would laugh and go on about how he laid his best friend in the small case, jumping on the top while he tried to zip up the last few inches.

Slowly, he started to fall asleep, leaning his head against the window. The vibrations from the plane's engines seemed to lull him even deeper into the neutral darkness until he was finally asleep. His mother continuously turned and smiled every five minutes, taking a picture here and there. After all, her son was the cutest thing when he slept; face as soft as cotton, his mouth open just a tiny bit. It wasn't but two hours later that his face changed from bliss to fear. This being his first time in an airplane, the landing completely terrified him. He could feel as they slowly lowered closer to the ground, each and every mile between the grass and the clouds shot his heart. With tiny hands, he gripped the armrests hard, his knuckles turning white. His eyes darted from the window to every other passenger on board. How did they manage to keep this calm?

Hendrick practically pulled his father back down when they had finally landed and everyone began leaving the plane. He held onto the strong arm for dear life, his knees shaking as he left with his parents.

The sun beat on his face and arms harshly. Summer in Iceland was never _this_ warm. Warm, but never like this. Even though he was wearing shorts, a thin t-shirt, and flip flops, it still was too hot. He rubbed his arm across his forehead. Sweat had already began to bead on every part of his body and he had hardly taken five steps onto American soil. Holding his father's hand as tightly as he could, he followed his parents into his uncle's car.

His Uncle Griffith – or Gobber as Hendrick had come to know him – lived happily in Burgess with a missing leg, arm, and slightly lazy eye. It bothered the child at times to look at it, forcing him to look at people's lips whenever he talked with anyone. His father would push his head a bit and tell him to look people in the eye.

"It's polite." He would say to his son. But, a habit was a habit and his father ended up giving him the same lecture every time the two talked. Which wasn't very often to begin with.

Griffith smiled as he drove, telling the three what he could about the city. He looked into the mirror and stared at Hendrick's reflection. "There are some kids down the road from your house." He said, trying to cheer the poor kid up. "About your age."

Val, Hendrick's mother, smiled and tapped her son's bare knee. "You hear that?"

Hendrick looked up at her and blinked, clearly not hearing his Uncle. She smiled and continued. "Kids your age not too far from the house."

The news didn't seem to make him any happier. In fact, it caused his depressing gaze to move from the window to his feet. The action made his mother frown. "Hendrick, I know this is hard for you."

"You _don't_ know, mom." The child played with the hem of his shirt, twisting it around his fingers and rubbing the base of his nails against the stitching. "Nobody will want to be my friend." His accent was still thick and made many of the words sound odd.

Val rubbed her child's back, sending him a small – rather forced – smile. "I'm sure somebody will want to be your friend. It's a new land, full of wonders."

"America is not mystical, mom. There's nothing special about it."

Steinn looked over at his mopping son, shaking his head. He was silent when it came to such things as soothing the boy. His wife was much better suited for the job as he would just seem to make it worse. Even when Hendrick was only a few months old, it was hard for him to rock the baby to sleep. After years of wondering, he figured it must have been his hulking size scaring the poor thing.

Griffith's smile became smaller as he pulled up into the drive way. "Well," He sighed and turned to look at the three. "here we are. Home sweet home."

"Thank you, Gobber." Val said happily.

Hendrick did not hesitate climbing out of the car and looking up at the three story building. It was rather old, the white paint chipping off the wonderful designs that were carved into the centuries old wood. The front door shined in his face and gracefully showed off it's stained glass. Twisting the brass knob, he gawked at the rugged stairs and beautifully crafted ceilings. This wasn't a house; it was a masterpiece. If anything, this house should be shown to the public.

He ignored the three adults talking as they walked in, heading straight into what he could only guess was the living room. The fire place was perfectly sculpted from marble and was what every child sees in Christmas time cartoons. Underneath him, the floorboards creaked. Great. There goes every chance of _ever_ sneaking down to watch television at night. He sighed and rolled his eyes, walking into the next room. It was small but long, containing a table for at least sixteen people. He could already imagine it now; all those empty seats and spaces between each other.

The kitchen itself wasn't all too grand. It was simple; white walls, new appliances, the sort of kitchen he had back home. With a slightly heavier heart, he walked up the stairs as quietly as he could. His parents and Uncle laughed as they sat down in the dining room, not noticing the child move to the bedrooms.

Each one held a fireplace, a wardrobe, and an overly extravagant bed. He raised an eyebrow as he walked into one room, looking all around. It wasn't small, but not big enough to seem bare. The velvet curtains felt soft under his touch and it actually made him smile.

_Tha-thump!_

Hendrick jumped at the sound the ceiling made. Ceilings don't usually make noises and it completely caught him off guard. He stared up at the spot he heard the noise, waiting, almost daring for it to scare him again. Sure enough…

_Tha-thump!_

He tilted his head to the side and walked out. There were four more doors in front and beside him, only two had been opened. With shaking knees, he made his way around the fenced hole the staircase made and stood in front of a small, narrow door. It was plain, nothing too exciting. So, why did it make his heart rush and beat as fast as it was? His hand shook with anxiety as he grabbed the knob. Taking a deep breath, he pulled it open as fast as humanly possible. A bathroom. There was no way anyone could feel as foolish as he felt in that moment.

_Tha-thump!_

His eyes traveled to the door beside him. It was the same as the others; big, dark oak with carvings all around it. "This is crazy…" he mumbled to himself and rolled his eyes. "Maybe just a cat."

The house was old, after all, and maybe nobody has been here for years. The grime on the windows sure showed the neglect. He sighed and walked over, opening it with sarcastic movements. The sound stopped and left him in silence. He couldn't even hear the adults downstairs if they were still in the house at all. It made him shake a little and he stared to back away. In front of him was a set of stairs leading up into the attic. They looked even older than the house, dust caked on every step. He looked all around for the signs of a cat but saw none.

"H-hello?" He stuttered. "Thumping noise?"

The feeling of a hand on his shoulder made him scream. Val jumped and looked over her child, repeating the same questions over and over. "What's the matter? What happened?"

Hendrick shook his head and held onto his mother. "I-I heard a noise!"

"What's going on up there?!" His father called from downstairs.

"Oh, Hendrick just got a little scared! I jumped him by accident!"

The ten year old frowned and watched as his mother closed the attic door. "Let's not play around upstairs." She said, smiling down at him. "Now, come on. Uncle Gobber is taking us out to dinner."

* * *

American food tasted…different. There was a sort of sweetness and saltiness to it unlike the food back in Iceland. He took a sip of his water and nibbled on the end of a chicken strip, his legs swinging ever so slightly.

The atmosphere was different as well. Even though the lights were dull, the place seemed to jump with excitement. Popular music played and words scrolled at the bottom of a television that was hanging next to the bar. Most of the waitresses were nice, peppy, and polite while others were not so much; rolling their eyes as often as they could.

Every time a child passed their table or was seated not too far away, Val would tap Hendrick on the shoulder and smile, pointing over at the possible friend. He, in turn, would shake his head and return back to his dinner. It wasn't until dessert that she finally said something as she pointed.

"How about that girl right there?" She asked, smiling as she rubbed her son's shoulder. "Why don't you go talk to her?"

Hendrick rolled his eyes. "Mom, really? I don't want to go over there. If she wants to be friends, she can come to me."

Val pouted. "But sweetie…please? Do this for me at least."

He looked up at her with fierce eyes, trying his hardest to stand his ground. He _was not_ going to go over there. He _was not_ going to talk to that girl. And he _was not_…going to say no to his mother. He _did_ sigh and get up. He _did_ walk over to the blonde girl about his age four tables away. And he _did _stumble over his words before an acceptable greeting flew out of his mouth. His accent seemed thicker than normal, causing him to blush and rub his arm when the girl asked him to repeat what he had said. They talked for a moment, just simple things really; each other's names, each other's ages, what school they were going to in the fall. But, he still seemed overly nervous. He backed away and waved his goodbye, bumping into one of the crankiest waitresses he ever did see.

"Watch where you're going, kid." She hissed, picking up the cups she had dropped. "Now I gotta go bring these back. As if today wasn't bad enough."

Hendrick looked down and tried to sink into himself, wishing some vortex would swallow him up. He quickly sat back down and shoveled the chocolate ice cream into his mouth. Steinn rubbed the side of his head and looked over at Griffith.

"Are you almost done?" He asked, looking down at his best friend's half eaten banana split.

The man nodded and dabbed the remains of whipped cream off his mustache. "I am. Once the waitress comes back, we'll pay and leave."

Thank the Gods. Hendrick didn't know how much more he could take. People at other tables laughed and chuckled, making him think they were talking about him. Some even pointed his way. Finally, their waitress came by with the check and a mop. She waited for them to pay – mostly waiting for the tip, no doubt – and began walking away. The boy looked up at her and mumbled an apology before leaving, hiding behind his mother's arm. Of course, Val patted his head and climbed into the backseat with him.

The ride from the restaurant to their new home didn't seem long to the adults. Possibly ten, twenty minutes tops. But, to any child, it was long enough for them to fall asleep and slip away into a fantastic dream. Where nothing embarrassing happened and everything was the way it should be.

"Looks like everything tuckered the little guy out." Griffith said as he pulled into the driveway, looking over at Hendrick through the mirror. "Poor little man."

Val smiled and unbuckled both herself and her son, gently picking him up. "Haven't held him like this since he was a baby." She whispered to her husband.

He nodded. "Thanks, Gobber. We really had a fun time." Steinn whispered before closing the car doors.

"Anytime! I'll come by tomorrow to help you with getting furniture."

The family waited and waved as he pulled out, driving off into the night. She looked down at Hendrick, holding him close to her body as she walked inside and up the stairs. The poor boy looked absolutely adorable curled up in his mother's arms. His tiny hands clutched swatches of her shirt as she laid him down, his father taking his flip flops off.

"Do you think he'll like it here?" He asked in a whisper, looking up at his wife. "He looked angry when we got on the plane."

Val shrugged and pulled the covers up over Hendrick's chin. "It will take time, Stoick." She said, using her nickname for him. "Everything will work itself out in time. It may take a week. Maybe even a month. But, he'll love living here sooner or later. Just you watch." She turned to him with a smile and held his hand, leading him out of their child's room.

Everything was silent after that. Even the boy's breathing and the wind outside could not be heard. His chest fell and rose at a slow pace, showing just how deep in sleep he truly was. Nothing could wake him up. Not the tapping of a tree branch against his window at midnight. Not the creak of the floorboards as the house readjusted itself at two in the morning. It seemed he could sleep forever without a care in the world. That is, until his throat began to tingle and his stomach began to curl.

He blinked his eyes open and looked around the room. For a moment, he had forgotten where he was. He began wondering what happened to his small bed, his toy chest, and his various dragon drawings. The panic attack slowly left him as he remembered the terrifying airplane trip and the embarrassing introduction at the restaurant. His cheeks flushed red as he slipped out of his bed, making his way to the bathroom first. It was small with a checkered tiled floor. The mirror seemed to be part of the wall, it's frame painted all around. It made him smile slightly after his business was done. Even if the colors were faded, it was still very pretty.

Hendrick yawned as he walked down the stairs. It was a surprise his parents didn't wake up from the constant creaking from each step he took. He let his hand skim the wall as he walked in, taking in the small details he couldn't see through the darkness. As soon as the doorway to the kitchen passed his fingertips, the carvings stopped and everything was smooth. His arm dropped to his side until he needed it again to open the cupboard and pull out a glass. He twisted the cold knob on the sink, yawning once again as he started filling his cup.

_Tha-thump!_

The ten year old jumped at the sudden sound, nearly throwing the glass cup across the room. He stared up at the ceiling as he thought of possible ways the sound could have been made. The house was old, so it might have just been the pipes from the water. His parents could have heard him and maybe just woke up. Perhaps something fell down in the attic.

_Tha-thmp!_

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he just stood there, listening for the thumping again. He took a sip of water, placed the glass down, and played with the hem of his shirt. "H-hello? Mom, dad?" He called, coming out into the hallway.

There was no answer. Everything was silent save for the water flowing from the tap in the kitchen. He held his breath, waiting, listening for the sound. Slowly, he started climbing up the stairs, not even bothering to stay quiet as he did so.

_Tha-thump!_

He gasped, his head going back as he felt the familiar tug and snap inside his throat. Really? Was now really the best time to get the hiccups? Hendrick sighed and rolled his eyes, opening the attic door.

"Hel-lo?" He called out, hiccupping halfway through. "Is any-one up here?" His head snapped back slightly, earning a groan as he walked up the filthy stairs.

There was no sound of a breeze blowing through a cracked window or a cat running around the floor. There was just the subtle of deaf flowing. As if he was underwater, his ears completely exposed to the liquid. He rubbed both ears for a moment before continuing up the cheap, old steps.

He had expected to see boxes everywhere. Maybe a desk in the corner, perhaps a chair or two. Something almost everyone has in either their attic or basement. But, as he finally reached the top of the stairs, there was none of that. No boxes or desks, not a chair to be seen. The only thing in the dusty, old, moonlit attic was a body length mirror; it's glass clouded from the fading silver.

It stood there, not making a single sound. The more he walked up to it, though, the deeper his heart sank. His reflection was no where to be seen. Hiccupping, he looked behind.

"Hello?" The voice sent a chill up Hendrick's spin and caused him to scream.

"Whose there?!" He fell to the floor, looking down the stairs.

"Hey, this is my house. I should be asking who you are." The voice sounded muffled and it waved as if it came from underwater.

Slowly, he turned to the mirror, seeing a teen stand staring at him with breathtaking blue eyes. He gasped and hiccupped all at once, causing him to look down. This was a dream, right? There was no possible way for a…a _person_ to be in a mirror. Unless…unless this was one of those haunted mirrors his friends back home used to tease him about.

He looked back up at the strange seeing glass expecting to see his own, nervous reflection. Instead, he saw the same teen; his leather cape coat and white hair waving as if he was hit by a breeze Hendrick could not feel. His lips were blue and his skin overly pale. The child hiccupped as he stood up, trying to swallow back the bodily function.

The teen smiled and gave out a chuckle. "Well, Hiccups, what are you doing here?"

Frowning at the nickname, he glared at the mirror. "My name isn't Hiccup, it's Hendrick. And what are you doing in the mirror?" He reached over and touched the glass. Ice cold.

He shrugged. "I don't know…" Placing a hand on his side of the mirror, he looked straight into the child's eyes. "I don't remember how I got in here. All I know is, I can't get out."

Hendrick stared up at him and tilted his head. This teenager whom had scared him looked frightened as he rubbed his hand against the glass. Only the Gods knew how long he had been trapped. And if he was alone the whole time, it could have seemed longer than his actual sentence.

"Who are you?" He asked, taking a step closer.

The other smiled, his eyes twinkling like snow against the sun. "My name's Jack. And if I could, I'd shake your hand." Jack chuckled.

The brunet nervously tried his best to laugh back but saw that Jack wasn't buying it. He rubbed his arm and looked down at his bare feet, embarrassed as he hiccupped once more. Not as bad as earlier, but embarrassed nonetheless.

"So, Hiccup."

"Hen-drick."

"Hiccup. What are you doing up here? It's way past your bedtime, isn't it, kiddo?"

He pressed his lips together in fury. Kiddo? No _way_. He was ten years old. Soon to be eleven in October. He was a preteen and should be treated as such. His hands balled into fists and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll have you know," He started, very matter-of-factly. "that I am ten years old."

Jack tried his hardest to suppress his laugh. Oh, this was just too much! "Ten years old, huh?" He kneeled down to look into the other's green eyes. "Well, if you were ten, then you should know you shouldn't be wondering a creepy house at night."

"Yeah, it's creepy. But, I live here now. So I have to get used to it sooner or later. And I choose sooner because I don't know when I'll get to go back to my old home. It could be years. I don't want to wait years to get used to the creepy thumps; I'll get gray hair like you!"

"It's not gray, it's _silver_." He rolled his eyes. Man, this kid could talk something fierce. If he hadn't interrupted, the little guy could have gone off on a tangent.

Hendrick raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Were you those thumps?" He asked, yawning a little.

"Well, yeah. I heard voices and decided to make some noise." He stretched out his hands, seeming to grab something on either side of him. Then, with tongue slithering out between pure white teeth, the mirror began to move back and forth.

_Tha-thump! Tha-thump! Tha-thump!_

"Okay, that's enough!" The child whispered. "You'll wake my parents and I'll get in trouble!"

Jack smiled, pulling his hands away and up to his chest. He stared down at the boy and noticed the bags under his eyes, sleep goop forming on his lashes. By the looks of it, he was ready to go back to bed. But, all he did was cross his arms back over his chest and give a sort of glare back up at him. It had been years, no, _centuries_ since he had last seen a human being. The sight of Hiccup relaxing made him flutter with excitement and he sighed.

"Hey, you alright?" Hendrick asked. "Are you tired?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm not. But you are. Get back to bed."

"But-"

"No buts, Hiccup. Get to bed."

"Are yo-"

The mirror started rocking back and forth again, a clear sign that he should high tail it out of the attic. He took the sign and ran down the stairs, accidentally slamming the door shut with such force, a picture shook as it hung off the wall.

Val very sleepily opened her bedroom door and stared at her son. "Hendrick?" She whispered. "What in the world were you doing upstairs? Didn't I tell you not to go up there yet?"

He stared at her. "I'm sorry, mom. I won't go up there again without asking."

She nodded and looked down at the staircase, looking like she was thinking something over. Finally, she looked over at him, watching as he tip-toed over to his bedroom. "What were you doing up there?"

Hendrick blinked and looked up at her. "Nothing."

* * *

**A/N: It doesn't seem that long on here, but, on my word document, it's about ten pages. Which is a lot considering I usually write about five or six. Should I continue or what? - ADAM **

**Review = Motivation = Chapters **


	2. The most over done birthday party ever

**A/N: I honestly don't know what to say. Well, um, I didn't know people would actually like it. Also, this is like 10 - 11 pages long on Microsoft Document. And I have many other fics. But, I'm not going to fail this one. It will be finished, I swear it. I'm not going to leave you hanging off that cliff. And now, enjoy a new chapter. **

* * *

It's honestly amazing how much you can get away with at such a young age; taking cookies off hot plates behind mother's back, staying up past bedtime to watch television. But even more so, sneaking around the house for hours on end _without _making a sound.

Which was something Hendrick did very often.

He would pace from his bedroom to the bathroom, listening for his mother and father's snoring. Which sounded very much like an unconscious dual between the two if you listened long enough. First, Steinn would snore loud enough to be heard from down the hall. Then, Val would start up, able to be heard from all the way down stairs. It took an hour or two, but, when Hendrick would come back from the attic, he could have sworn he saw the master bedroom door move as if it was breathing. And Jack had seen it as well.

Even though his parents were semi-light sleepers, Hendrick always seemed to move the mirror downstairs without waking them up. And the mirror was heavy for a ten year old. Solid mahogany framing with much detail, more than four pounds of well silvered glass; this thing weighed tons. But it was worth going up and down two flights of stairs to get to watch cartoons with his only friend at the time. School, after all, was horrible and nobody wanted anything to do with him. Unless they wanted lunch money. Then everyone was 'best friends'. Each large, dimwitted preteen in the entire building would take turns every week to show Hendrick a different part of the school. First it was the boy's bathroom on the third floor which, did indeed, lack in some actual toilets and stall doors. The next was the girl's locker room and showers on the first floor right across from the gym. The list went on and on but one thing was the same: he always lost his lunch money.

At first, Jack was a little frightened by the television. He had seen many things in his…'lifetime'; radios, lava lamps, walkmans but, he had never seen a television before. His eyes were wide with excitement every time he was set in front of the screen and would constantly ask Hendrick to change the channel so he could watch the news. The things that were happening elsewhere in the world fascinated him and scared him at the same time. Some nights, he would ask the brunet to place the mirror in the child's bedroom just so he could make sure nobody hurt him while he was asleep.

September seemed to go by fast with the two keeping each other company. Before they knew it, it was already October. Halloween decorations littered hallways, windows, rooms, and even the stairs. Val had hung up a sign that, when moved, would blink 'turn back' while screaming practically in your face. Whenever Hendrick opened the front door, it would almost give him a heart attack.

And as the Halloween decorations went up, so did the birthday party supplies.

"How many people do you want at your party, Hendrick?" Val asked while she made the boy's favorite treat; apple crisp.

The ten year old shrugged. '_No one, because nobody likes me_.' He thought to himself before looking up at his mother. "I don't know yet."

"Well, what about that nice boy, Steven, that's at your bus stop? Or those sweetheart twins, Rachel and Trevor?"

His mother waited with him by the bus stop every morning and saw only what the others wanted her to see. Which were smiles and laughs and 'you look very nice in that today, Mrs. Haddock, did you get a haircut?'. But, once the bus pulled away and Val was half way down the street, those masks came off faster than Hot Pockets got warm.

Steven was an ugly brute of a boy, with a nose that stuck up so high, Hendrick thought he was a pig at first sight. His voice also had begun to crack and the beginnings of a mustache formed on his top lip. It didn't help that he was thirteen and puberty had struck him at the same time his parents decided he needed to be held back two years.

Rachel and Trevor weren't as bad as Steven, but, they always had nasty, mischievous grins that made Hendrick wonder what they were thinking. Most of the time, their thoughts were stuck on pranks. In hindsight, they were harmless. Only meant for laughs and fun. But at the time, the child was the only one silent. It hurt to hear the others laughing at him.

It was not a good idea to invite either of the three. And as the brunet opened his mouth to tell his mother no, don't do it, I beg you, she had already wrote their names on the guest list.

"Oh, who else should I invite? Yes! That little girl from the restaurant! I saw her walking her dog not too far away the other week. She goes to a privet school, you know, but, we talked for a few minutes on my way to the supermarket."

There was only two real people Hendrick wouldn't mind having at his birthday party. Jack, who, would creep the children out and Louis, another boy from his bus stop. He wouldn't say much. The two would glance at each other and say normal comments like how they like each other's shirts or they would ask the other if they saw that new documentary on dragons. "How about Louis?" He asked when he looked up at his mother.

"Louis?" She looked up at the ceiling and tried to put a face to the name. "Ah, that fat boy with the squint and beanie?"

Hendrick smiled and nodded his head. Maybe his birthday wouldn't be that bad after all. Although, handing out the invitations seemed to be horrible all in itself.

Val put a small stack of orange envelopes in Hendrick's backpack one October morning and sent him off to school with the biggest smile on her face. She could just picture it now; Hendrick smiling with many friends patting him on the back, playing with him and his new toys. It would make him like America better, she thought. Sadly, that wasn't the case.

Each envelope was addressed to each student in his homeroom class except for Louis' since he was in a classroom across the hall. Steven was the first to get his and he didn't seem all too happy about it. In fact, he laughed in the younger child's face, crumpled up the invitation, and threw it at his forehead. Rachel and Trevor got their invitation after a few more classmates. They stared at the orange paper and began whispering with odd chuckling that sounded more like snorting than anything else. It could only mean bad things the way they were glancing up at him then back down at the invite. Hendrick immediately started walking away without another word.

Some of the other students just smiled when he handed them out and quickly shoved them into their desks, never to be seen again. Most of them said that they had to ask their parents and that they likely had a dentist or doctor's appointment that day.

When Hendrick gave Louis his invitation at the end of the day, he was slightly shocked. The boy nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I'll be there. Hendreek, right?"

"Actually, it's Hendri-" He stopped himself. His name sounded so odd in an American accent. It sounded just about as foreign as he was. "Hiccup. It's Hiccup." He said at last, using Jack's nickname for him.

Louis lifted an eyebrow as he stared at him. "Hiccup? I thought it was Hendreek."

Hendrick shook his head. "I like to be called Hiccup." He took a better look at his soon-to-be friend.

His arms were enormous, his stomach gargantuan. Then he looked down at Louis' legs. They were as thin as toothpicks. No bigger – or smaller – than his own. His eyes went wide and he began to wonder just how those tiny things held up that much weight. They looked like… "Fish legs." He whispered to himself.

"Excuse me?" Louis almost looked offended.

"Uh, uh, well, um, y-you're legs. They're just about as small as mine and I-I'm such a fishbone s-so, uh…oh geeze, I'm sorry."

His heart completely stopped when he heard the large boy laugh. It surprised him more than anything else would. Hendrick raised an eyebrow as he stared at the child. "You're not…upset?"

"What? No! I get called worse names all the time!" The blonde placed his hands on his hips. "Besides, it sounds more like me than 'Louis'. And you look more like a Hiccup than a Hendreek."

"It's Hen_drick_…and thanks."

The bus ride home wasn't as bad as usual that day. Maybe one or two paper airplanes or spitballs hit him upside the head, but he didn't notice. He was far too busy talking with Louis – who preferred the name Fishlegs – about things other children would call 'geeky'. They talked the whole ride about English shows with flying, space police boxes and fire breathing dragons that cut of the tops of fully grown trees. It was, actually, a surprise that nobody started whispering about them, passing false rumors.

Sadly, his parents didn't think it as great as he did. As soon as he mentioned Fishlegs, they looked at each other with strange looks. Their faces twisted in such ways that, Hendrick thought they were communicating through their minds. When they finally spoke, they told their son that it was nice he made a new friend, just be careful, and to try and make other friends. He knew they didn't care much for Fishlegs. The boy has been caught, every once in a while, with a small dragon toy or his hamster in his jacket pocket. After dinner, Hendrick went up to his room, waited for his parents to fall asleep, and then crept up into the attic where Jack sat waiting.

"Hey, you." He said with a smile. "How was school?"

The brunet shrugged. "It was alright. I made a new friend." He sat in front of the mirror in his familiar spot; which was now decorated with pillows and blankets and a small space heater. "How was the attic?"

Jack shrugged as well. "I saw a spider walk across the floor today. After I had tea with the Queen, of course."

"Tea with the Queen?" Hendrick smiled. "But you can't drink or eat, can you?" He looked his friend over.

His hair was still white and waving and bubbles came out of his mouth as he talked. They were normal and gave him the illusion that they were underwater like mermaids. But something was off about him. Was it just him or were the bags under his eyes getting darker?

The teen shook his head with a laugh. "No. I can't eat. Or drink." He put his hand up against the glass separating them. "All I can do is sit here, I guess."

Hendrick's smile turned into a frown. There were, indeed, times where he wondered what Jack was up to but, most of the time, he didn't. It was almost like having a pet but not at the same time. Jack was by no means a 'pet', of course. He was Hendrick's best friend. They told each other everything. But, when he was at school, he never really thought about him till the last few minutes. It made him feel guilty and horrible like he had forgotten something important. And now that he knew that all Jack did was sit around and wait for him to come home; it made him feel even worse.

His stomach churned and flopped and almost got stuck in his throat a few times before he could finally look back up at Jack. The other was looking around the room, taking in the few things that were up there. When he felt the boy's green eyes on him, he looked down and smiled.

"So, this new friend…what're they like?"

The two spent a good hour talking about Fishlegs. And then another three hours just talking and playing simple games like twenty questions or checkers. It wasn't until Hendrick started yawning that Jack finally stopped playing.

"Alright, Hiccup." He said, rubbing away the many games of tick-tack-toe that they had played on the mirror's surface. "Time for you to go to bed."

Hendrick yawned again and rubbed his eye, leaning back on one of the many pillows with a blanket up to his chin. "No…I'll sleep here…"

Jack chuckled and shook his head. "No, you gotta go downstairs, Hiccup. Do you want your mom or dad to find you up here? You'll get in trouble."

"I don't wanna leave you alone…"

Five families have lived in the house before Hendrick's. All had children either around, older, or younger than him. The older children, who were around their teens, didn't really talk to Jack all that much. They acknowledged that he was there, but never really took the time to become real friends with him. The younger children loved him just as much as Hendrick did. All the same things happened to an extent; they snuck upstairs, made pillow forts with him. One even showed him the magic of a lava lamp. But, when they grew up, they never came back. Hearing Hendrick say something Jack knew was inevitable hurt. And it made him smile at the same time.

He reached his arm forward to cover the boy up even more but the mirror's glass stopped him with an echoing tap. His smile turned into a frown and he placed his hand in his lap. "But you will."

The sound of the attic door opening caught his attention and he quickly hid out of sight. He listened to his friend's mother whisper to the sleeping child, telling him how foolish he was to sleep in such a cold attic even with a secret space heater. There was complete silence for a moment until he heard Val tap on the mirror's glass with her finger. Ripples seemed to echo throughout the room on his side, making him wide eyed. He knew that normal mirrors never did this. And that normal mirrors usually give off the reflection of the one staring into it. But, all she did was mumble to herself and walk back downstairs, closing the door behind her.

* * *

When your birthday is in the month of October, many think you're going to have a Halloween themed party. With pin-the-arm-on-the-mummy, bobbing for apples, and(if you're rich enough) a corn stock maze. Sadly, that's exactly what his mother had planned. Even if Hendrick just wanted a normal party with rainbow balloons and colorful paper plates like the rest of the kids had.

He never really had a normal party like that. It was always the same sort of party; orange and black and wear whatever Halloween costume you want and jack-o-lantern piñatas. Every once in a while it'd be nice to have such a festive get together but, it'd also be nice to just have a birthday party and not a huge, Halloween extravaganza.

Hendrick sat in his room staring into his closet mirror. He looked himself over; looking at the black scales his mother had painted on his face, the green catlike contacts in his eyes, the onyx wings on his back. Even though most of the costume was made of 100% cotton, he truly looked like a little dragon of the night. He pressed the button on the inside of his sleeve to make his wings flap slightly. With a smile, he hopped all the way up into the attic and tapped on Jack's mirror. Before any of his guests came, he wanted his best friend to see.

"Jack! Jack!" He said happily, looking all around the other side of the mirror.

In a sort of floating, swimming way, the teen walked over to the mirror's glass and smiled back at the child. "Well, look at you! Hiccup the dragon. I like it. How did you get your eyes to do that?"

Hendrick laughed. "They're contacts, Jack. I didn't do this." He opened his eyes wide with his fingers, moving closer so that his friend could see. "They're little things that you put in your eyes and make them look different. I could get some that make my eyes yellow or red or blue."

"Nah, those wouldn't look cool on you." Jack shook his head and crossed his arms. "Green is more your color. Besides, with red or yellow or blue eyes, you'd look like a freak."

The birthday boy raised an eyebrow and dropped his arms. "But, you have blue eyes."

The white haired young man opened his mouth to say something until the sound of the front door bell rang and echoed throughout the house. Val's voice mixed itself with another woman's, both greeting each other in the most friendliest way possible. He began to wonder who this new person was until he heard the brunet's mother call him downstairs.

"Hendrick!" Val called. "Steven is here!"

Hendrick rolled his eyes and groaned. "I guess I'll be back later." He said and started walking toward the attic door, his head hung low.

"Alright, Hiccup. Have fun."

'_If only I could. But this is going to be the _worst _day of my life._' He thought to himself as many other things came to mind. Such as Steven keeping Hendrick's head under the water as he bobbed for apples or purposely making him run into the wall during pin-the-arm-on-the-mummy. With all the activities his mother had planned, Steven was sure to embarrass him one way or another.

He sighed and walked down to the foyer where, unfortunately, Steven stood wearing a Viking costume. Which, was slightly fitting. He was a brute of a boy, his arms much bigger than Hendrick's head. It was only right to make him look even bigger with furs and armor.

"Hello, Hendrick." He said, trying to sound like the sweetheart Val made him out to be.

"Hello…Steven…" The newly appointed eleven year old rubbed his arm and looked down at his feet.

Both boys walked around the house, Hendrick giving a sort of tour. He made the smartest choices in not letting him into the attic or either of the bedrooms, saying that they had a nasty case of bedbugs and were trying to smoke them out during the party. When his mother asked them to help with setting up the games, he knew this wasn't going to be good. And, in fact, it wasn't. Steven poured water all over Hendrick, stuck the arm of the mummy to his shoulder, and even tripped him over as they set up the candy bowls, making him fall flat on his face, candy all over him. By the time Rachel and Trevor got there, he was a complete mess and was begging to take a bath.

A few more kids from his class came. Kids he really didn't know well and frankly didn't get along with made themselves at home very easily. Some even dared others to try and go into the attic which was said to be the most haunted place in the whole house. But, Val didn't have it. She kept a constant eye on her child's favorite room's door. A couple children managed to make it up the stairs, but they didn't stay for long.

Thankfully, Fishlegs made it an hour before the cake was meant to be presented. He had dressed himself up as a lobster and chuckled when he saw his new friend. "Hiccup, what happened to you? You look like crap."

"Thank you, Fishlegs. You look lovely yourself." Hendrick said with the most sarcastic voice.

His blond friend blushed and smiled nervously, patting him on the shoulder. "Oh, b-but your costume looks cool. If you didn't start bobbing for apples and make your cool scales run, then you would have looked more awesome than you do now."

"I didn't bob for apples. Steven poured water on me." He closed the door and looked into the living room where everyone ran around laughing.

"Snotface?" Fishlegs asked. "Oh, don't let him get to you. You'll go insane if you do."

Hendrick couldn't help but chuckle at the nick name his friend had given to their bully. "Snotface? Why Snotface?"

"When he was younger, his nose never stopped running. It always had either blood or snot coming out of it. So, to get him back, we call him Snotface."

He was liking his new friend now. Never did he ever think about getting back at a bully. He always thought that it'd just make the situation worse. Now he knows, getting back at the one getting you this way is funny. And even makes the stress of the word 'bully' less affective.

The last one to show up was the blonde girl whom he had first met at the restaurant. She had dressed herself up as a zombie soccer player which, he had to admit, was odd. Most of the girls at his party were something pretty; fairies, ponies, princesses. Even though her costume was cool, it still struck him as weird.

She walked up to Hendrick and smiled slightly, handing out his present. "Happy birthday uh…Hendreak, right?"

"Just call me Hiccup, um…Morgan?" He said, slightly forgetting her name as he placed the gift on the table next to the door with the rest.

The small girl placed her hands on her hips, her soccer ball placed firmly under one arm. "Megan." She corrected him. "But my friends call me Camicazi."

Hendrick raised an eyebrow and turned to her. "Camicazi?" He asked, looking her over one more time. "Why do they call you Camicazi?"

"I don't know." She shrugged with a grin. "Maybe because I'm crazy on the field. Heya!" With a very strong arm, she threw her slightly deflated soccer ball at the boy's chest, causing him to fall over onto his back.

'_And off the field, too…_'

"Come on, kids!" Val said happily and loudly, making sure she was heard throughout the house.

Everyone ran into the dinning room and gawked at the cake. Three layers tall, covered with ghosts and vampires, werewolves and mummies, zombies and witches. Usually, Val would just choose one monster theme for his birthday cake. One year it was the boogieman hiding under a bed. Another was a haunted house complete with ghosts and skeletons. Even though the whole Halloween theme was over done, the cake was still a masterpiece and made Hendrick smile happily.

Once the candles were blown out and the delicious looking treat was cut into, the kids ate their favorite flavors. The base layer was made from chocolate while the middle was completely golden. The very top layer was big enough to cut into three pieces and was, much to Hendrick's enjoyment, strawberry cake with chunks of the fruit everywhere.

Fishlegs stuck with the plain chocolate, trying to keep it safe. Hendrick happily ate a slice of strawberry and watched Camicazi take a slice of each flavor, mix it in a bowl, and eat giant scoops of the strange creation. Steven and Trevor sat not to far from the three, talking as they stuffed their faces with ice cream and cake.

Hendrick chuckled as small bits of frosting flew from Steven's mouth and landed all over Trevor. "Snotlout." He said, his voice muffled by the food in his mouth.

"Snot_lout_?" Fishlegs laughed slightly. "Why Snotlout?"

The birthday boy shook his head and swallowed the cake. "I meant Snotloud." He whispered to his friend. "He's just so loud when he talks, it makes my ears bleed."

"I like Lout better." Camicazi whispered, leaning into the conversation. "Sounds more like an insult."

The rest of the party wasn't as bad as Hendrick originally thought. Steven – or, rather, Snotlout – did try to embarrass him in front of everyone, but, the embarrassment didn't last long. Mainly because he laughed right along with them. Yeah, sure, it hurt at first to see almost everyone laughing at him because of the water dripping from his chin when Snoutlout poured the bucket load on him. But, he wasn't going to let him win. At least, not today. Some other day, yeah, Hendrick was sure he'd win. Today was his birthday, though, and he was determined to have somewhat of a good time with his two friends.

To get back at Snotface Snotlout, Camicazi poured hot sauce in his can of soda. It caused Val to get angry at the partygoers but, it was worth seeing the pig nosed boy run around screaming with his tongue hanging out like an animal.

As more kids started leaving, the greater it was. Within two hours, the only ones that were left were Camicazi and Fishlegs. And Hendrick didn't mind a bit. The three sat together and played a few games. First, they started off with board games. Which didn't really go well with Fishlegs since little Camicazi hardly ever shut up. They then switched to video games in the hopes that she'd be too focused on the screen to open her mouth. It didn't help one bit. She'd jump around screaming at the screen, telling her character to get their head on their shoulders. It eventually ended with the trio watching a scary movie. It calmed the smallest guest down enough so that the rest of them could stare at the television in peace.

Near the end of the movie, he meant to just blink. He didn't mean to leave his eyes closed and fall asleep, leaning back against the couch. But he did. And his friends did as well. It was one of those moments where you wished you had a camera.

Val smiled when she first saw the three. Then the doorbell rang and reality sunk in. She woke up both Fishlegs and Camicazi, helped them to the front door, and picked up her own son, placing him in his own bed. Steinn, Hendrick's father, leaned against the doorframe, watching his wife tuck their son into his overly sized bed.

"Think he had a good birthday?" He asked in a slight whisper.

She smiled and nodded, moving some hair from Hendrick's face. "I think so. He sure looked like he was having fun."

Steinn nodded as well, stood up completely, and walked to their bedroom. Val waited for a moment before following him. It wasn't long after she closed the door that Hendrick opened his eyes. He laid there on his bed, his eyes and mind waving between awake and asleep as he listened to the noises in the next room. The incoherent conversation slowly drowned into nothing more than loud snoring. When he could hear it clearly and keep his eyes open for more than two minutes, he slipped into his slippers, pulled on his robe, and walked up into the attic where Jack sat waiting.

He was tapping at the mirror's glass so long, it made an indent that stuck out on his end. Hendrick rubbed his hand over the place where Jack poked his finger and began to wonder just what his hand felt like. Was it as smooth as the glass or was it rough like oil paintings?

"Hiccup? What's wrong?" Jack asked, watching the newly appointed eleven year old.

Hendrick shrugged his shoulders and continued rubbing the bump. "Hey, Jack? How did you get stuck in this mirror?"

"I told you before…I don't remember." He sighed as he leaned his head against the glass. "I just woke up here."

"Woke up?"

The teen nodded and looked over at the boy, smiling to see he got his full attention. "Yeah. I just woke up in here. Tried to get out a few times but all that got me was a slightly moving mirror."

The brunet stared at him for a minute then looked over the glass again. "What was the last thing you remember?"

His friend's face twisted and turned and winced and relaxed…so many emotions passed through him, it was too much to catch up with. Finally, Jack sighed and placed a hand up to the mirror's glass. "The last thing I remember was a bunch of water and ice…" He placed his forehead right above his finger tips. "I remember thinking I was going to die…"

Hendrick froze and looked over Jack's face. "W…what happened? What made you think that?"

"Don't know…" He closed his eyes and saw the fuzzy pictures in the back of his mind. A familiar girl reaching out to him, her face completely blurred out. "I was ice skating with my sister and then everything went black. When I woke up, I was in this mirror."

"Were you always in this house?"

Jack shook his head. "No. At first, I was in a cabin. Not for long, though. Some people moved me into a barn. Then I was moved to this house." He opened his eyes and looked around the attic. "This place was a home for a while. Until the state bought it and used it as a museum." He smiled happily and almost proudly. "_I_ was the main attraction."

Hendrick scuffed. "_You_? Well, I guess that makes sense. Nobody can see their reflection so, of course you'd cause attention."

He laughed slightly at the boy's comment, staring down at him. "Yeah, I guess I would, huh?"

The years hardly showed on Jack himself, but, it did on the mirror. It was clear that the silver was coming off very fast in the back and that the wood would soon completely rot away, no matter how many drawings and paint stains it had. And that's when he felt it. This small ping strike his chest. He knew that his time with Jack was limited, very limited. The mirror might not last another two years. And, like a selfish child in a toy store, he felt tears come to his eyes. He sniffled and tried to push back the lump in his throat, but, it didn't work as planned.

"Hiccup? Hiccup, what's wrong?"

* * *

**A/N: On to writing more chapters! - ADAM**

**Reviews = Motivation = Chapters**


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